Don’t Never Tell Nobody Nothin’ No How: The Real Story of West Coast Rum Running

by Rick James

At the stroke of one minute past midnight, January 17, 1920, the National Prohibition Act was officially declared in effect in the United States. From 1920 to 1933 the manufacture, sale, importation and transportation of alcohol and, of course, the imbibing of such products, was illegal. Prohibition was already a bust in Canada and it wasn’t long before fleets of vessels, from weather-beaten old fish boats to large ocean-going steamers, began filling their holds with liquor to deliver their much-valued cargo to their thirsty neighbours to the south. Contrary to popular perception, rum-running along the Pacific coast was usually carried out in a relatively civilized manner, with an oh-so-Canadian politeness on the British Columbian side. Most operated within the law. But there were indeed shootouts, hijackings and even a particularly gruesome murder associated with the business. Using first-hand accounts of old-time rum-runners, extensive research using primary and secondary documentation, and the often-sensational newspaper coverage of the day,  Don’t Never Tell Nobody Nothin’ No How  sets out to explain what  really  went down along the West Coast during the American “Noble Experiment.”

Genres: Crime, True Crime, History, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2018

Reviews

[Warren Wulff · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, fast-paced book. The high adventure of rum running is told vividly, with a breathlessness that matches a career dodging the US Coast Guard. This is not an academic history but made for the layperson with an interest in life on the West Coast in the 20s and 30s. All aspects of rum running are well researched; not an easy feat for a topic where participants usually went to the grave with what they knew. The only area not examined is what people did with their fabulous wealth, including building some of the large homes on SW Marine Drive in Vancouver. Still, the book is excellently written overall, and smartly constructed to provide adequate context about Prohibition itself, the larger causes and effects on the economy at a variety of scales (from Vancouver to North America wide), and even the smaller details of boat construction and use are explained in an easy to understand manner. Even someone who has little foreknowledge of this life would enjoy this book.

My only quibble is right at the end, when the author is providing his big picture summary of the futility of Prohibition. He unfortunately wades into the complex issue of the ongoing opioid crisis, an issue that I don’t think can be addressed adequately in a couple paragraphs and to me doesn’t equate to alcohol prohibition. Also, his reference to the Opium War between China and the UK was a bit backwards based on my understanding. China was trying to stop the UK from selling opium into China, not the other way around as I think the author is suggesting.

Despite this finish line stumble, it’s still a five star book for the depth of research, clarity of writing, and a tale well told.

[Joseph Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love general, nautical,newest coast and vice history so this book was a no brainer for me. Unfortunately I didn't love it as much as I'd hoped. It's very difficult for a historian to bring an personal, novel like aspect to their writing while staying objective and detached (Erik Larson does this masterfully in his books). This book documents the bootlegging trade in Coastal waters from BC to Mexico during the 1920's to early 1930's. The book's very informative, I found it interesting to learn that larger Canadian "mother ships" would stay anchored for months on end in international waters just off from US territorial waters, often leaving the technically illegal snuggling to Americans. There's a lot to be gleaned from the book but it's quite dry and not very personal. A little background into the people consuming the contraband, what life was like on the actual boats etc would have been welcome. That said it's definitely worth a read

[Atavistic Proclivities · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would agree with Joseph Stewart's review completely. For those wanting to delve into the heady world of ship genealogy, you're in your ken here. A few real narratives, with mostly chronological chapters of what ships were where along the coast and increasing frustrations by the US law enforcement. Used nautical and ship terminology frequently without explaining their definitions until later chapters, causing further confusion for the layperson, like myself. The effect was unintentional, but led to confusion and a drag in pacing throughout. Oddly enough, James completely misses out on the rum-running occuring in Tsawassen-Point Roberts that was going on along their western shores, expounding instead on Victoria's exploits, with minor connections to Vancouver shipbuilders and distribution companies. All in all, in firm need of a seasoned editor to steer this book's rudder.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and fascinating history about an amazing and little talked about period in the Pacific Northwest